Oxley High School student Sophie Bagster is working hard to have her name in lights, after being announced as a finalist in the University of New England Acquisitive Art Prize's (UNESAP) Lets Hang It! 2021 competition.

Judges saw the potential in her work submitted for the prize: a still from a short film she made called Space Aged Love Song.

Her photograph I Was Falling In Love has been picked for the senior category of the competition alongside other year 11 and 12 students.

"I thought it was so cool, I've never really been announced as a finalist for a photography competition before and I think it's a really very special image to be chosen as a finalist," Sophie said.

"I really love story telling, I love it a lot. I enjoy my writing, I enjoy my storytelling, I enjoy my acting and film is such a medium that I can be myself."

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The film itself was a finalist in the Screenwave International Film Festival as well. She was highly-commended for another film in this festival too, this was a horror-inspired piece called Devour.

"I want to go to a film school and direct movies and make short films about anything and everything," she said.

"At the moment I'm making another short film for Next Wave [Film Festival]."

Her art teacher at school, Leisel McIlrick, said she was following in the footsteps of former Oxley student and film director, Glendyn Ivin.

"When this came up I said 'let's take some stills from this film you made and we'll enter them' so I'm very happy, very proud," she said.

All finalists will be on display at New England Regional Art Museum on July 30 until August 15, with the winners announced that night.

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